When it comes to being human, it’s no surprise that mistakes happen when we try to live our everyday lives, but how can one learn about other people’s mistakes, and what those mistakes caused? The simple answer to this question is the history of human beings, and the empires that we’ve built and destroyed. Humans that would be especially important to study in this case would be the leaders of these aforementioned empires, and exactly how their mistakes caused their downfalls. In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, a king by the name of Creon acts on his emotions to decide the fate of one of his own flesh and blood, and in the end, he’s severely punished for his impotence, which brings about his downfall. Creon is a king that goes against the gods, and…
Creon, a character from the Greek tragedy Antigone, is described as the tragic hero of the story due to the character's flaws and the consequences that followed. Creon's intentions are purely of nationalism for the land he rules, Thebbes. He forbids anyone to show respect to a violent betrayer, but in the process makes tragic flaws. Creon's tragic mistakes can all be embodied by the one question he had asked his son Haemon, “And the city proposes to teach me how to rule?” ( 3.103). Creon is insistent on ruling one his own. Even When the prophet, Teiresias, tried to help the king, Creon was also deaf to his suggestions, even though they were for his well being. When Creon…
Although Creon created the edict with good intentions for the people of Thebes, his failure to recognize the familial bond that ties Antigone to her brother Polyneices coupled with his newfound power as ruler of Thebes contributes to his tyrannical and delusional behavior which ultimately leads to his downfall. Looking back at “Oedipus The King”, Creon established himself as a rational individual, especially during his confrontation with Oedipus when clearing his name as culprit in a placid manner. However, Creon’s attitude shifts dramatically in “Antigone” after assuming the throne. Analysing Creon’s argument with oracle Tiresias reveals Creon’s transformation into a delusional tyrant. Tiresias offers his wisdom to Creon claiming he is responsible…
“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”- Mahatma Gandhi. This quote reveals that the world is run by the love of power and that is what is keeping our world from reaching its full potential. Power has the potential to affect others in a positive way. As it produces guidance organization for those who don’t really know what they are doing.…
Throughout the play Antigone, Creon is portrayed as the king of discipline and pride. Creon’s pride is what makes him the tragic figure of Antigone. Though Antigone takes her life as the result of her sentence from Creon, it is not her pride that defines her fate but her unwillingness to accept her fate.…
Creon, the king of Thebes, is an extremely powerful ruler, so much so that many people fear him. In fact, he is so feared, he could even be called a tyrant. The sentry that reports Antigone’s “crime” is nearly shaking in his boots when he tells Creon. In lines 85-87 he says “And all the time a voice kept saying “You fool, don't you know you're walking straight into trouble?””, this shows that he is scared for his life and all he did was send a message. Another…
Generally speaking Creon is a prideful king. For example he made laws that defied the Gods. Creon is so prideful and arrogant he would not listen to others to spare the sister from being arrested. “I swear by God and by the throne of God, the man who has done this thing shall pay for it!.”,(pg 674) said Creon. He believed his law of not burying a traitor was…
In the story of Antigone, there are two main characters Creon, and Antigone. Many people think that Antigone is the tragic hero, but i think that Creon is the tragic hero. In the story of Antigone, king Creon was a tragic hero because, he was very stubborn, he is of noble greatness, and he made a bad mistake by not burying Polyneices.…
In some respects Creon is seen as a positive character, in others as an antagonist. However, if one sees it from a different perspective, it's obvious that Creon is the victim of fate and his own flaws, making him a tragic hero. His first misfortune was to fall from the grace of his people when saying that Antigone should die for her actions. "Your people are beginning to question your judgment and are beginning to side with Antigone." (256-257) This scene is very ironic! Creon is actually trying to maintain his authority by being a ruler of his word, but he is actually losing respect. Creon's present situation foreshadows unrest and growing calamity within his own family. The idea of him losing…
As you might have noticed by now, no one is perfect in this world and everyone has their own flaws. Antigone and King Creon's flaws, for example, cannot be hidden because their flaws are what make them up as a person. They both share more than one fault; one of many faults is hubris. Antigone had another flaw that could be considered either good or bad, depending on the situation; that flaw was bravery. King Creon is very close-minded, and that's one of the many flaws the king has. Hubris, bravery and close-mindedness — the tragic flaws that Antigone, King Creon, and possibly other people, possess.…
From early peoples trying to earn the highest rank of their tribe to the conquests of territories to even the pursuit of the top job in a company today, human beings need to be the cream of the crop. No matter where in the world, there’s always a Julius Caesar or Donald Trump kind of person. In a lot of instances, these types of people end up with a wealth of success, but it always comes with a cost: they expose who they really are, for better or worse. In Antigone, a tragic play by Sophocles that takes place in Greece in around 441 B.C., a man named Creon takes over as king of Thebes after the exile of his brother in-law and former king, Oedipus. He starts to really show his colors when Antigone, Oedipus’ daughter, attempts to bury her dishonored brother, Polynices. Sophocles’ message of power in this instance and throughout the book is simple: sovereignty exposes the whole person. Throughout Antigone, the power of the throne rips off Creon’s false personality and shows that he always has his well-being before…
Selflessness, and determination are great characteristics to have, but when they are put against each other, problems can arise. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone is trying to bury her brother Polynices after his tragic death, while fighting for the throne. Creon doesn’t want Polynices to be buried because of how he died, fighting for the throne, and killing Eteocles, the rightful king. Creon doesn't think it is just for Polynices to be buried. But Antigone says the gods desire it. Antigone and Creon put each other in tough situations, which creates a theme and advances the plot. Throughout the play Antigone acts as a foil for Creon and her selflessness contrasts with Creon's determination to advance the plot and develop the theme of staying true to your morals.…
“I did not think anything which you proclaimed strong enough to let a mortal override the gods and their unwritten and unchanging laws,” (lines 510-513) proclaims Antigone, once again asserting her opinion on whose laws she is justified to follow. Antigone’s persona contrasts with Creon’s character ultimately due to their conflicting motivations about which laws should be followed: the word of the gods, or the laws of man.These conflicting motivations the characteristics of unreasonableness, anger, and disrespect to be highlighted within Creon’s character. In the end, these conflicting motivations develop Creon as a tragic hero by ensuing his stubbornness, and damaging his pride.…
In Antigone, a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, Creon is a tyrant and arrogant character who sees the world through the veil of his beliefs. When he decrees the punishment of death upon Antigone, he completely disregards every opinion that is against his own. By ignoring the views of others, he jeopardizes his strength as a ruler. Sophocles uses the extended metaphor of the ship of state to show how Creon’s self-righteous way of thinking leads to unwanted outcomes. From Creon’s mistakes we learn that if you let your pride stand in the way of seeing other people’s opinions you can impair yourself more than you had planned.…
The reader first notices Creon’s excessive pride when he speaks of his rule as superior to the gods. Creon exclaims, “Am I to rule this land by other judgment than mine own?” signifying his complete disregard for the gods’ superior rule over his own (Sophocles). By highlighting his own pride in his rule and disregarding that of the gods, Creon presents himself with a certain god-like superiority. The reader further sees Creon’s self-infatuation when he corrects the prophet, Teiresias, claiming, “Well, the prophet-tribe was ever fond of money,” suggesting that Tiresias prophesizes falsely only in pursuit of money out of arrogance and pride that he was wiser than the prophet himself (Sophocles). Creon’s excessive pride is finally confronted by the gods’ powerful control over Creon’s life. In taking his own wife and son, the gods put Creon in his place exhibiting their superiority over him and exposing Creon’s own human weakness despite his intense pride. “Woe, woe!” Creon cries. “I thrill with dread. Is there none to strike me to the heart with two-edged sword? O miserable that I am, and steeped in miserable anguish! (Sophocles)”. In Creon’s anguish, human weakness is exposed as well as the faulty security in excessive human…